Keeping Aulonocara Peacock cichlids

Keeping Aulonocara Peacock cichlids

Aulonacara, also known as the “Malawi
peacocks”, have been a favorite among African cichlid keepers for
many years. They are relatively peaceful if kept properly, and males
develop some of the most beautiful color to be found in freshwater
fish anywhere, making them highly exotic looking. What follows is an
attempt to describe how best to keep these fish in the home aquarium.

One of the considerations should be
their diet. This should be varied, contain some vegetable matter, but
be rather rich in animal protein compared to what you would feed more
herbivorous fish like mbuna. Be careful – when we say ‘animal
protein’ we are referring to protein from aquatic animals
(fish, invertebrates, zooplankton, etc.). Meat from warm blooded
animals (eg: beefheart) is not recommended for African
cichlids, even carnivores like peacocks. They haven’t evolved to be
able to digest it properly because there is nothing like it to eat in
their natural environment. It can cause them serious health problems.
If you are using store bought fish foods check the ingredients and
nutritional stats on the packaging to ensure the protein content is
at least 40% and from suitable sources. Tankmates should ideally have
similar dietary requirements to your peacocks as trying to satisfy
different dietary requirements in the same tank without causing
problems can be tricky, and puts further constraints on what you can
feed your fish.

Another important
consideration in keeping peacocks is the water quality you can
provide and maintain for them. The water should be hard and alkaline,
as in the African rift lakes. The PH can be anywhere from the
mid-7.’s to the mid-8.’s, but it should not fluctuate. A stable
7.5 is better than a PH that quickly swings from 7.8 to 8.4 and back,
for instance. As with all African cichlids the water should be kept
well oxygenated and very clean, with no measurable ammonia or
nitrites, and nitrates not exceeding 40 ppm (less is better). The
temperature should ideally be in the 76-80 range, and stable.

With respect to the aquarium size
required to keep peacocks at their best, this is a topic that
deserves more consideration than we can cover fairly in this article,
but here are a couple of basic guidelines:

A 3-foot tank minimum for a
breeding group of a single species of peacocks (eg: one male and
three females).

A 4-foot tank minimum for an
all-male mix (more on that later).

Tanks larger than 4 feet always
afford more flexibility.

There is one very important remaining
factor to address for peacocks to live healthy happy lives, to show
great color and to breed for you: tankmates. Much of the remainder of
this article will revolve around this subject.

A question frequently asked is “what
can I keep with my peacocks?” Let’s refine that a bit to “what
should I keep with my peacocks?”. There are quite a few
species of fish Malawi peacocks can co-exist with, but to have them
show good color and to breed them requires more careful selection of
tankmates. For starters, tankmates should have the same diet and
water quality requirements as the peacocks. But there is much more to
selecting tankmates than that.

To color up to his absolute best a male
peacock needs to be king of the tank. That means no fish more
aggressive than the peacocks should be kept in the same tank. This
generally rules out Malawi mbuna, the larger and more aggressive
Malawi haplochromines (“haps”), cichlids from lake Victoria and
the surrounding basin, and many, many more.

Some suggestions of what can be kept
with Malawi peacocks:

More peacocks. Some important
details are in order here. If you wish to keep multiple males to
have more color in the tank, then an all-male peacock setup is the
way to go. In such a setup you would select one male each from
different looking peacock species, but no females. If females are
present, males may fight, possibly to the death. This can be true
even with males and females of different species, because female
peacocks all look pretty similar and each male tends to view any
female as one of his own species. Also because of this, if you keep
more than one species of male peacock in the same tank and there are
females included it is quite likely the species will cross-breed.
The matter of hybridization is not the focus of this article;
suffice it to say it is strongly suggested to avoid stocking
selections that make it likely to happen.

On the other hand,
if you DO want to breed peacocks, obviously some females are
required! In such a mix only peacocks of the same species should be
included, for reasons mentioned above. This should consist of one
male only (again, for reasons mentioned above) and at least two,
preferably three females to disperse the male’s attention. A lone
female may be harassed excessively, leading to fin damage, stress,
and in the worst cases death. Although you are limited to one male
with a breeding mix, a male peacock in breeding dress shows
particularly vibrant coloring!

Some of the
smaller and more peaceful Malawi haps can also make suitable
tankmates. Some examples are species of the genus Lethrinops,
Otopharynx (eg: lithobates), some of the smaller and more peaceful
Placidochromis (eg: electra), and some of the smaller and more
peaceful Copadichromis (eg: azureus, etc.). There are more, but
there are also a lot of Malawi haps that will be too large and
boisterous for the peacocks to be at their best, even among the
above mentioned genus. For instance Copadichromis borleyi or
jacksoni get too large and aggressive for most peacocks’ comfort.
The same can be said of Placidochromis milomo, Nimbochromis
livingstonii, and many more. This is why it is important when
considering a potential tankmate for your peacocks to get the
scientific name of the fish (trade names are often unreliable or
meaningless) and research that specific species’ potential size,
temperament and other requirements. Note that many of the haps that
are suitable tankmates temperament-wise also present the risk of
cross-breeding, as though they themselves were just another species
of peacock. This is because many females of the smaller hap species
are rather similar in appearance to peacock females. An all-male
peacock setup including some of these hap males (but not females) is
an option.

Some catfish
with similar water requirements make good tankmates for peacocks,
notably certain synodontis species from lake Tanganyika (eg:
multipunctatus, petricola)

There are a few possible choices beyond
the above guidelines that may work due to the particular nature of
specific fish species; one example is Altolamprologus calvus (or
Altolamprologus compressiceps) from lake Tanganyika. These cichlids
are slow enough not to outcompete the peacocks for food and tough
enough to withstand some abuse from the peacocks without usurping the
peacock’s place as ‘tank king’. It is generally not recommended
to mix peacocks with fish from outside of Lake Malawi however A.
calvus/compressiceps, along with the aforementioned Synodontis
species, are examples of exceptions. Yet further examples are certain
species of ancistrus that don’t get too large and tolerate lake
Malawi water parameters, eg: the so-called bushy-nose and rubberlip
plecos. As a general rule though, it is strongly recommended to do
some research before attempting any un-proven combination. There are
many more poor combinations than good ones. The employees at your
local fish store may not be the best equipped to give advice on this
subject, despite their attempts to give an impression otherwise.

A limited number of peacock species
deserve special mention for being a bit larger and more robust than
the rest. These include Aulonacara jacobfreibergi variants as well as
Aulonacara sp. Lwanda. If kept in a large enough tank (preferably 5-6
feet) these peacocks can usually stand up to the milder of the mbuna
species and somewhat larger, medium-aggressive hap species such as
Copadichromis borleyi. They will breed, show fairly good color, and
not put up with too much abuse from such tankmates. Still they have
their limits and should not be housed with overly aggressive
tankmates. They simply provide a little more flexibility to your
stocking options.

It should be mentioned that there is
always an element of variability in the form of the individual fish’s
character. It is not unheard of for a peacock (of any species) to
turn out to be a terror to tankmates it should theoretically get
along with, or alternately to be a ‘wimp’ when it should be tank
king. One can’t plan for rogue personalities; if it happens you
just have to adjust your tank to it, one way or another. Initially,
tankmates should be selected on the assumption the fish will more or
less be typical of their species in temperament. (ie: don’t assume
an Aulonacara baenschi will rise to the occasion and be fine with an
Melanochromis auratus just because you wish it so – you’re in for
a letdown).

All other things being equal, an alpha
male peacock of good stock will trump a subdominant fish, a runt or
an otherwise poorly bred fish. Stock quality is very difficult to
judge in juvenile peacocks that are not yet showing color. If buying
from a breeder ask to see the parent stock. Availability can also be
an issue. The male peacocks’ splendid coloration only develops as
they mature, and this has the indirect effect of making them somewhat
uncommon in the general fishkeeping hobby, despite their appeal to
African cichlid keepers. This is in part because many stores won’t
stock juvenile fish that are not colorful, fearing they won’t sell.
If you do get hold of some quality juvenile peacocks they will reward
you as they transform. If you happen to come across some full grown
peacocks for sale you can expect them to be offered at premium
prices.

Everything discussed here, including
diet, water quality, tank size, tankmates and stock quality, will
have a bearing on whether a male peacock will develop his very best
color for you. While it may seem like a lot of complicated
compromises are necessary to bring out the best in Aulonacara the
reward is worth it. If you’ve done all this right there is no
reason your peacock(s) should not develop eye-catching colors and
swim about proudly in the open with their beautiful finnage on
display. There is also a certain satisfaction in knowing you’ve
provided just the right environment to bring out the beauty in these
fish, and that you’ve selected only suitable tankmates in order to
achieve this goal. In a sense it is a feather in your cap as an
aquarist.